Hi all! I am trying to figure out how Mary can record her music so it can be heard by others........do they make cd recorders? or if I could get it on my puter, I could burn a cd...........so many have asked to hear her after her appearance on Montel with Elliott.......I am trying to figure out how to make it happen for her..........please take into consideration that I am a single mom with two kids on disabilty so funds are extremely limited........but I thought it would be great for her for Christmas!

Thanks!
Bev, Mary's mom

Bev,

I'll get this discussion started. There are so many different things you can do that it may take a collective effort to figure out what is the best way.

Which way is best for you is going to depend upon what equipment you have available.

If you have a digital camera that takes movies, it would be very easy to record her and transfer the movie to your computer.

You don't need to burn a CD as there are much easier ways. If you have a microphone for your computer, all you need is a recording program, so that's something to think about.

I've never used an iPod but my little Muvo mp3 has a built-in recorder, so if you have an mp3 player, check to see if it also records.

Those are the first three possiblities that come to mind, but I'm sure that there are others.

I will be happy to make a page for Mary on my web site once you get the recording.

I just found a fantastic FREE program that is better than the one I have been using for several years. I haven't explored all of the possibilities yet, but apparently it will even record from an audio tape:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

And if anyone reading this topic wants to record a live radio stream, it will do that too.

Bev, as onlyforelliott has said, I think the simplest way is to find someone, friend or neighbor, who has a digital camera that takes movies, or a video camera. Then it's simply

1. camera/video camera
2. to your computer -
3. to youtube or similar site

most if not all digital cameras have the option to upload the file to your computer.

Another thought would be a cam connected to your computer with a mic. for video too. Then you could upload the file you create, directly to youtube, photobucket or many others. If you have a cam, the software is most likely included. Actually you can upload live to many directly from the cam. Cams are very cheap, a decent one is $30.

One more idea I just thought of: Cell Phones. Many take video too. You can upload to many sites from your cell phone! I see it on photobucket now. You just type into your phone the address your account tells you to. to send it off to photobucket.

The microphone is a great idea too, and that software is free. Someone will help you find a place to put it on the internet for the etrain to hear or more :). youtube will only do video.

Ask a kid in the neighborhood... I think they all could help you get this done. :) PM me or onlyforelliott if you have any questions. I'd love to see this happen for you and Mary.

What about camcorders......does anyone know if the least expensive ones are any good for this? I am thinking Christmas sales......etc.......

Bev

Sure, they would be fine for this. That's what I meant by video cameras :). I just got one myself on black Friday... I hated the way my digital camera took videos. The video camera I had before this one was HUGE, and used full size VCR tapes lol. What a difference they are now.

I think the price varies with the zoom of the camera, the greater the zoom, the higher the price. I paid $200, but it was a black Friday special. A friend bought one even tinier for just $125, I'm not even sure what the difference was. She said it takes great videos.

I would just look it up on the web before making a purchase... see what the reviews say about the camcorder. That always helps. They usually list the pros and cons, but most will take a video fine enough to put on youtube.

thanks, Itslate.......Mary and I are taking my very elderly mom shopping this morning, so we will look....we do not have IPODs or camera phones...so, I am trying for find the best place to spend our funds.....where is will have the most use/flexibility..........she has agreed to a bit less for Christmas and less spending money for her choir trip to Chicago next summer...........I have also downloaded the suggested software.......my mind used to be much sharper before the MS and it gets very frustrating for me sometimes, so I appreciate the use of all of your minds :-)..........

Bev

Anyone know anything about - Vivitar 5 MP DVR-550 Digital Camera, Digital Video Recorder, MP3 Player & PC Cam? Someone gave me a Walmart.com gift card and I could use it to defray the cost.....they have several but this one looks best to my non techie eye..........thanks, Bev

Wally World also has these - Vistaquest VQ-DV7 Digital Camcorder, Digital Camera, MP3 Player & PC Web Cam, Silver and
Flip Video F30-Minute Digital Camcorder, White and Flip Video F30-Minute Digital Camcorder, White and Flip Video F230W Ultra 30-Minute Digital Camcorder - White, Black, Pink, Green and
Aiptek A-HD High Definition Digital Camcorder w/ 4x Digital Zoom and Bonus Rechargeable Battery


I just do not have a clue what is importatn for this and what isn't.

Bev

Bev,

I've never owned a camcorder, so I don't have too much of a clue on the various products. Anytime I'm going to venture into buying something electronic, my first stop is always cnet.com. It's the equivalent of Consumer Reports for all things computer related. Here's a link to the camcorders section.

http://google-cnet.com.com/camcorders/?tag=cnetfd.dir

Even if you don't understand the technical specs, the rating and brief summary review should help you in making some comparisons.

Another option you might consider is to rent one for a few days.

Well basically I can tell you one thing about zooms... optical zoom is the best. Digital zoom is where the camcorder fills in the blanks so to speak to match neighboring pixels. Optical zoom is true zoom.

One other thing that I think is very important about cameras, make sure the write ups say the picture can be stabilized. One thing I've read about some, are that the pictures are real jerky and blurry because of movement.

HD (High Definition) is the newest, but may require a large memory card. Some use different means to store also... memory cards or mini DVD's (about $5 ea). Just make sure you know what it uses and that you have plenty of storage space. HD that uses memory cards, may just hold 30 min and you may need another card.

I'm sure some folks can add to this.